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2 Dec 2012

Smokery opens near Nailsworth

Opening Smokery

Ruskin Mill College opened their new smokehouse and food processing facility on Friday afternoon. It was funded by the Local Food Fund - an application I supported at the time, so I was delighted to join the cutting of the ribbon by local resident 'Baker Boy' Tom Herbert (third from left in photo).

The Smokery is a wonderful
purpose-built smokehouse and processing facility able to smoke and
package for sale a range of fish, meat, game, vegetable and cheese
products, including RMC home produced trout and pork - it
offers to build on the already successful local food movement in the Stroud
area - adding value to local produce is vital in sustaining the livelihoods of
our local farmers, and helping new entrants into the agricultural industry. It
will also benefit the students of Ruskin Mill College to gain a range of skills
and experience in food related subjects. I hope to put a film together that I made at the opening....soon available on Stroud Community TV!

As one of the papers about it said, it will "provide educational, training and work opportunities for students, who have a keen interest in food. It will also offer a facility for local cheesemakers and other food producers; a potential venue for training on small scale smokehouses for outsiders to attend; possible shared co-operative use with other producers; and training and skill-share on food preservation for the local community."Anyhow also there was Nick Beardsley and Christophe Coquoine (also pictured) who own The Cotswold Food Club - they are already working closely with their pub, Tipputs Inn, and Ruskin Mill to increase their already impressive local food range. Starting with a leaky roof in The Fleece at Rooksmoor in 1993, they added four Pub Restaurants to the chain. Great interviews with these two and lots of stories on Stroud's in Business on Stroud FM produced and presented by Terry Mechan can be heard at: http://podcasts.stroudfm.co.uk/index.php?id=1001

"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day I can hear her breathing."Arundhati Roy

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I note that these blogs entries may not be the views of the Green Party, but could be considered campaign material during an election. It must therefore be noted they are printed by, promoted by and on behalf of the Stroud District Green Party, 2 The Laurels, Bread Street, Ruscombe, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL6 6EL.